Samsung Galaxy S II getting Android 2.3.6 update in India

Samsung has finally started rolling out the much awaited Android 2.3.6 update for Galaxy S2 I9100 users in India today. This update is available via Samsung Kies application, so you just have to fire up Kies on your PC and start updating.

There is not change-log available right now, but according to users the new update brings better support for Indic languages although there still are some issues. We will update the post as soon as we get our hands on the official change-log.

Galaxy S II India Update Details:

Region: INU

Model: GT-I9100

Version: I9100XWKL1 (2.3.6)

Update: Change-log (Thanks to Sanju)

Faster boot-up time

Lock-screen bug fixed

Boost in HSPA connectivity speed

Camera interface tweaks

Security & performance upgrading

Do let us know about your experience with Galaxy S II after the update in comments.

I updated to 2.3.6, Swype keypad is new, drop down menu in home screen has been modified and thevibration icon appears on top even when sounds are on.
RAM utilisation is better – more free RAM available..
Hspa performance is better..more animation effects when you hit page end and can’t scroll further.
Overall its excellent.. !!
I updated with kies – be a little patient, it works.

No luck with the update. Same standard message that ,”Your device does not support software upgrading via Kies.”. Strange ! The last time I upgraded to Gingerbread, this message did not come up. Am using a Mac.

Phone is bit faster now, but i dont see any difference in signal boost.
Silent mode switch is changed in Notification bar.
Settings -> About Phone -> Software Update(Added Auto Update,Wi-Fi,Push Message)
Settings -> Power Saving
2 line Power Saving Widget
I can’t comment anything as of now on battery as i updated it just 1hr back.

1. Before connecting the phone to your PC, Launch Kies on PC and go to HELP>Check for Updates
2. Most probably your KIES is not the latest verion. Update Kies to latest version.
3. Alternatively you can also go to Samsung mobile website. Go to support and download and install latest Kies from there.
4. Once the latest Kies is installed; connect the phone and continue with the usual update process.

@Rashmin : Even I have faced the same problem a week back as I have done some R&D & upgraded the OS to 2.3.6 of US (AT&T) & then to UK version so whenever I start my Kies, I get the message to the one you are getting.
I have simply visited the Service Center & ask them for FORMAT my S2 & update the 2.3.3 version, after which it works

Guys, Does any one know a download link for the update??? I have been trying for the last 4 hours and its getting timed out after 15-16%.. I have a perfectly good internet connection but still it does not go through…

1. During the startup animation when the Big S appears they have added Samsung Galaxy S2 logo.
2. Default font has been changed(Made a little bold).
3. There is a blue tint that is added when you scroll between the Settings or menus.
4. System power saving option added.
5. Power saving widget is on the same page instead scrolling to the right.
6. RAM utilisation is better and phone is faster.
7. Software update over Wifi is available.
8. New application Kies Cast(No sure if it was there on 2.3.3).

i havent upgraded s2 even once via odin, but last night i was upgrading via kies, firstly it started to analyze , then download then install. When all was finished, i just disconnected my phone to check. It was same 2.3.3 (no error)
And now when connect again kies shows this message “Your device doesn’t support software upgrading via Kies”

I have successfully upgraded GT9100 to 2.3.6 update. It was not easy. After 3-4hrs struggle I could able to do it. I was getting network errors in downloading the firmware files. Once the file is downloaded it was smooth. It is working fine.

yesterday i have update to 2.3.6 via kies , my phone is rooted through odin ( super user ) but still update work for me through kies and i didn’t back up anything and i didn’t lost anything….it’s take nearly 1:30hrs…… am from mumbai……..
changelog……
video player, viberation icon, blue theme effect, system update options, more ram , better battery, animation in camera application, power saving, swype, all this i have find but
can’t find hindi language in settings…..doesn’t matter…….
guy fast update ur droid to 2.3.6. it’s awesome……and wait for ICS…….

Hi,
whats the point of providing 2.3.6 without gtalk video / voice chat ?, which is main feature of 2.3.4 itself.
One more point to say that samsung development team is lazy ( either way not at all capable).

The differences I observed are as below:
1. Slideshow feature available in Photo Frame Widget (Its there in 2.3.5 also, but new to original SGS2 on 2.3.3)
2. Power savings Widget has a new look. Instead of having a link button at the end, it shows all the options in one screen.
3. New Power Saving settings available. You can now have both custom power saving settings as well as system default settings.
4. Seemingly smoother navigation.
5. Change in the features available in the top screen short cut.

MOST IMPORTANTLY THE YELLOWISH TINGE on the left hand side of the display is FINALLY GONE 🙂
It was showing clearly in “Movie” & “Standard” mode of display, but its not there even in that mode.

1. Disconnect the mobile phone from cable, remove the battery and reattach the battery.
2. Press the power button.
3. Make sure the mobile phone has been turned on completely.
4. Reconnect the mobile phone to the cable and start the upgrage.

Now I have done the steps and am re downloading the entire update again.

i hav the latest versn of kies when i start it downloads the components and after that bang an error that the firmware upgrade has stop working but in the background the upgrade is running what to do???

Hi started my upgrade…getting just one message “Downloading….Do not turn off target” for the last 1.5 hrs on the phone screen…In Kies the progress bar has not moved at all….and the “cancel” button is not enabled…help!!

Other feauture dat i observed is the availability of saving a contact on SIM card which ws absent earlier..
Also the sound effects of pressing the backspace button is nw different dan others..
But it still lacks or say removes the message skins which comes originally!!

Thanks for the tips provided here. I was able to successfully update to 2.3.6. Was able to see must of the new features (mentioned above). A nice feature that I liked was that “when I connect by S2 to the laptop MTP initialization and connection does not lock you out of the phone” which is an excellent feature. Now one can work on phone and connect to KIES also.

After updating my kies,the firmware update began with the initial ‘upgrate components’ download.On completion of this download a screen appears that says ‘preparing firmware upgrade component’ and then this goes on for like an eternity and never ends.I had disconnection and reconnected the phone 3-4 times after this,but still no luck.
Does anyone who has upgraded his phone know the duration of the ‘preparing components screen’?
I also have a slightly slower internet connection which might a reason for the stalling,but there are others who have upgraded using a slower connection right?

After updating my kies,the firmware update began with the initial ‘upgrate components’ download.On completion of this download a screen appears that says ‘preparing firmware upgrade component’ and then this goes on for like an eternity and never ends.I had disconnection and reconnected the phone 3-4 times after this,but still no luck.
Does anyone who has upgraded his phone know the duration of the ‘preparing components screen’?
I also have a slightly slower internet connection which might a reason for the stalling,but there are others who have upgraded using a slower connection right?
==============i am having the same problem plzzz help

@Chetan I upgraded my phone on Windows 7, and there was no Issues.. 1st time after downloading 74% it showed connection time out error, but on the 2nd time it went well till the end upgrading it to 2.3.6.

Plople please share the change log and tips and ways to save battery, coz it completed yesterday at 3am, after 4 Hours on battery its showing 94% remaining.

Display battery usage is still high at 68% with system power saving mode enebled, please suggest.

things which suck:
the default font has changed, seems to be a bit bolder – sucks
there is a annoying icon in notification bar appears as long as you have vibration on, earlier used to appear only when you had Silent mode on – sucks
the usual bounce effect which happened once you scroll to the bottom of menu or list is replaced by some blue color thing – sucks
the blacklist feature works but not as smooth as before, has to be enabled first from Call Settings and Auto reject mode and even then the blacklisted caller hears a little ring before it automicatically disconnects – sucks
after connecting to kies, no longer get the fullscreen MTP, just a notification icon at the top which is good but once you are copying a large file the screen changes to full screen MTP saying Synchronizing…. and doesn’t let you do anything else – sucks

things which are good:
the system power saving mode actually works and saves battery – still testing
scroll enabled from the last home screen to the first like it was already there in applications screen

changes i’ve noticed
gallery options menu is not transparent
videos can be now played in potrait mode
bluetooth notifices about available devices in the notification bar
using d default keypad, pressing the backspace has a different tone
bootup is faster
camera quality improved
better power saving

Following is the feedback for the update:-
1) Phone runs smoothly and no issues of Freezing and restart
2) The power save mode runs better as i am notching atleast 24 hrs of heavy usage before charging it again.
3) The phone had a volume issue earlier as the volume on calls was affected by the volume on the media player, that issue has been resolved effectively with this update.

Phone bricked while updating via kies, after starting the update it remained at 0% for eight hours and then i had to remove the wire. And after i removed the wire the phone didn’t start. just a yellow icon showed up. took to the samsung service centre and they had to replace the whole motherboard. (processor and memory including). such a loss.

1. Disconnect the mobile phone from cable, remove the battery and reattach the battery.
2. Press the power button.
3. Make sure the mobile phone has been turned on completely.
4. Reconnect the mobile phone to the cable and start the upgrage.

the window named ” downloading file for firmware upgrade of GT I 9100″ takes most of time since the files to be updated are downloading, it depends upon the connection speed, i have a connection of 2 Mbps and it took me over 2 hours to complete download and additional time for downloading on to the phone.

i have a i9100g indian version and i got the 2.3.6 update via kies here in italy. There seems to be a lot of issues after the update i.e wifi issues, sluggish performance and ocassional freezing of the screen. Checked an italian blog and it seems samsung has released an official fix of the faulty 2.3.6 update but when i check my device on kies there is no update.

Any idea how i can get this fixed update or perhaps go back to my older version via kies?

I just did the upgrade on samsung galaxy sl upgraded to 2.3.6 with out any problem.
Tips: First ensure at 3 Gb on your PC local harddisk , next turn off both antivirus and firewall before you start the upgrade , entire upgrade process will be smooth.

Hi. i upgraded to 2.3.6 on my s2 I9100G four days back. All was fine. mean i couldn’t notice much difference. The biggest drawback is when i try to connect to a PC, any of the OS, XP or Vista or 7 cant recognise the device. The drivers are missing even through KIES. I am ata loss. Pls help

I recently bought my Galaxy SII (2nd one) from the Service Center itself and I got my hands on a really fresh piece that is of January 23, 2012 with which the 2.3.6 comes preloaded. I am sure the lock screen bug-fix is not resolved as I keep getting the error. It is so frequent that it happens once in every 3 times. Some features like the Cam working in low battery and saving contacts on SIM Card took me by surprise. However I feel the update has slowed down the OS and my Music Player now faces some glitches while I turn my WhatsApp on and off. I also liked the Display Screen movements. They are now pretty smooth and swift. Also the browsing up and down with TouchWiz has improved big time. However I am not very happy because I feel the 2.3.3 was better than the recent update without the above features also. So I rate this update only 6/10. I hope they come back soon with a decent upgrade – Vikas

I feel the camera also has suffered from the faulty upgrade. It was easier to switch between Preview and Camera modes in 2.3.3. It is pretty slow in 2.3.6. My battery too isn’t performing consistently. It lasts for 8 hrs and 24 hrs every alternate day on same usage. Yesterday my phone just froze while texting a friend. I had to remove my battery and re-insert it to operate it again. Also the error that was in 2.3.3 is back. This error is the one where when you press the back button, it keeps going to the previous task that you did repeatedly. You need to press the home button to stop it. I will keep updating this when I face more challenges. Thanks – Vikas

I Upgraded to 2.3.6 Yesterday. After the Process Finished, there was No service in my phone ( The network Signal Icon was replaced by an Airplane ) I took it to the Service Center, and these people told me that you have rooted the device and it will cost Rs.9K…. Don’t Upgrade it is an Unstable Version the Manger of the Service Center Accepted it!

ONLY BUY iPHONE or NOKIA Phone TO AVOID SUCH JUNK and DANGEROUS PHONE BRICKING, UNSTABLE FIRMWARE UPDATES from SAMSUNG. THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DELIVER THE GOOD UPDATE. FIRST, THEY HAVE THE FIRMWARES FULL OF BUGS AND PEOPLE FLOOD WEB SITES SEEKING HELP IN ONE OR ANOTHER FORM. SECOND, THEY HAVE NO RELIABLE MODE TO DELIVER/ROLLOUT IT.
YOU WILL NEVER FEEL SORRY OR REPENT WHEN UPDATING iPHONE. THEIR UPDATES ARE EXTREMELY STABLE/RELIABLE, FREE OF BUGS AND THEIR MODE OF DELIVERY/ROLLOUT IS UTMOST RELIABLE & SATISFACTORY. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN WEB SITES FULL OF QUESTIONS, ASKING HELP OR REPENTING FROM iPHONE USERS??

Just now I upgrade to 2.3.6. I really liked it. Previously it used stuck when switching from camera to preview and now it is working very smoothly and fast. I upgraded the firmware from phone itself and worked well for me.No issues faced. everything is working fine. 🙂 SII I9100G